Virtually all elementary and secondary schools have mandatory physical fitness programs. In these programs a variety of physical fitness activities are practiced. Many of these activities involve teams and the separation and designation of class members into opposing teams. This type of team activity is an excellent Way to involve a large number of people simultaneously while fostering enthusiasm through competition and team spirit.
However, a problem often develops When the team sport involves the intermingling of team members during the playing of the game. In such a situation the players must be able to differentiate between the members of their team and those of the opposing team. For males, it is common to differentiate by having one team wear shirts and the other team remove their shirts (skins). While this method of shirts vs. skins is effective it has several drawbacks. Clearly, this approach only works when the weather permits or if the play is indoors. Furthermore, those students without shirts have a greater risk of injury, especially scratches and abrasions. Also, when the teams are playing indoors it is common for the gym floor to become wet, especially when a player not wearing any sort of absorptive material falls or for any other reason comes in contact with the floor. This of course creates wet spots which are potentially very dangerous to all players. Aside from the physical difficulties there is also a psychological factor which enters the picture when a player has a self image problem due to being overweight or very thin. These players virtually dread the possibility of being on the team without shirts and especially where male and female classes share the same gymnasium this exposure can be most embarrassing.
Commonly, female teams are given colored tops, similar to tank tops, which are worn over their gym outfits. Each team member wears the same color top and thus the players can quickly differentiate between opposing team members.
The cost of these designator tops is born by the school since it would he impractical for students to buY their own given the fact that they would need different colored tops depending on which teams they were on. For this reason the schools generally buy two sets of tops each set of course being a different color. The tops are worn during class and afterwards generally thrown into a basket or the like for use by the next class. Needless to say, after several classes the tops are totally repugnant to their users. This is not only unpleasant to the students but may also be unhealthy as germs are easily spread from student to student. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that schools generally do not have any type of laundry service. Therefore, the tops are handled like other school equipment, namely, thrown back into the bag or basket for use the next day. The washing of these tops, if it occurs at all, falls upon the gym teacher and it is obvious that even the most conscientious teachers cannot be expected to take home 50 or more tops each and every night for washing and drying. These tops thus go day after day, and even week after week without being cleaned.
In fact, it is not uncommon that these tops become so repugnant that the students treat them with disgust. Tops are commonly stretched, torn or otherwise abused to such a degree that numerous replacements must be ordered throughout the year.